.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
'Space must be conceived in terms of plastic volume, instead of being fixed with the help of lines onto the imaginary surface of the paper. I am unable to imagine it other than in three dimensions. That is the way form acquires its structure. Form springs spontaneously from the needs of the space that builds its dwelling like an animal in its shell. Just like this animal, I am also an architect of the void'
(E. Chillida, quoted in K. de Barañano (ed.), Chillida 1948-1998, exh. cat., Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid, 1998-1999, p. 62).
Through the physical construct of the immense Lurra XXXIII, Eduardo Chillida brings forth the material essence of terracotta. One of the largest and most important works of the series, this warm, totemic sculpture embodies the artist's investigation into the very inscape of sculpture. Chillida sought materials which he felt were imbued with meaning. Its title taken from the Basque for Earth, the Lurra series focuses on the elemental terrain of Spain: rich chamota, or terracotta. The rustic earthen patina of the fired clay intrinsically links this work back to its landscape and the blacksmithing tradition of San Sebastián.
The majestic tactile surface of the baked block of earth has an ancientness of form, accentuated by deep incisions carved into the scorched ochre, requiring an almost archeological investigation into the raw reduction of forms. Kosme de Barañano draws visual links to a prehistoric legacy of form; the asymmetrical logic of the knotches appears like the irregular Incan brick walls of Cuzco, a medieval tomb, or a crenellated fortress (K. de Barañano, quoted in 'Eduardo Chillida', Chillida 1948-1998, exh. cat., Madrid, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, 1998-1999, p. 40).
Sculpted by hand and tooled with the artist's knife, Chillida's physical treatment of the terracotta distinguishes itself from the polished refinement of a potters' wheel. Instead, The Lurra celebrate the variable nature of the material: terracotta, once transformed by the fire of the kiln, results in a series of unique works, each displaying subtle variations in colour and tone. The unique quality of Lurra XXXIII is defined by the decisive line of the artist's knife carving out the clay. 'For Chillida, to sculpt is to impose oneself on the given material (to put oneself in its being, not to superimpose oneself) and without losing its nature as material, to give it life, a breath, a being on a new level, an artistic level... cutting the earth like a wound that will scar in the kiln - surrounds the piece, circling and chasing it like Ariande's thread' (K. de Barañano, quoted in 'Eduardo Chillida', Chillida 1948-1998, exh. cat., Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid, 1998-1999, p. 40).
The organic geometry of Lurra XXXIII is articulated by the space within and around the terracotta block. The complex incised lines carved with the knife expose the interior of the sculpture, revealing a labyrinth of geometric space through the narrow slits. Speaking of this quality, Chillida quantified, 'space must be conceived in terms of plastic volume, instead of being fixed with the help of lines onto the imaginary surface of the paper. I am unable to imagine it other than in three dimensions. That is the way form acquires its structure. Form springs spontaneously from the needs of the space that builds its dwelling like an animal in its shell. Just like this animal, I am also an architect of the void' (E. Chillida, quoted in K. de Barañano (ed.), Chillida 1948-1998, exh. cat., Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid, 1998-1999, p. 62).
(E. Chillida, quoted in K. de Barañano (ed.), Chillida 1948-1998, exh. cat., Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid, 1998-1999, p. 62).
Through the physical construct of the immense Lurra XXXIII, Eduardo Chillida brings forth the material essence of terracotta. One of the largest and most important works of the series, this warm, totemic sculpture embodies the artist's investigation into the very inscape of sculpture. Chillida sought materials which he felt were imbued with meaning. Its title taken from the Basque for Earth, the Lurra series focuses on the elemental terrain of Spain: rich chamota, or terracotta. The rustic earthen patina of the fired clay intrinsically links this work back to its landscape and the blacksmithing tradition of San Sebastián.
The majestic tactile surface of the baked block of earth has an ancientness of form, accentuated by deep incisions carved into the scorched ochre, requiring an almost archeological investigation into the raw reduction of forms. Kosme de Barañano draws visual links to a prehistoric legacy of form; the asymmetrical logic of the knotches appears like the irregular Incan brick walls of Cuzco, a medieval tomb, or a crenellated fortress (K. de Barañano, quoted in 'Eduardo Chillida', Chillida 1948-1998, exh. cat., Madrid, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, 1998-1999, p. 40).
Sculpted by hand and tooled with the artist's knife, Chillida's physical treatment of the terracotta distinguishes itself from the polished refinement of a potters' wheel. Instead, The Lurra celebrate the variable nature of the material: terracotta, once transformed by the fire of the kiln, results in a series of unique works, each displaying subtle variations in colour and tone. The unique quality of Lurra XXXIII is defined by the decisive line of the artist's knife carving out the clay. 'For Chillida, to sculpt is to impose oneself on the given material (to put oneself in its being, not to superimpose oneself) and without losing its nature as material, to give it life, a breath, a being on a new level, an artistic level... cutting the earth like a wound that will scar in the kiln - surrounds the piece, circling and chasing it like Ariande's thread' (K. de Barañano, quoted in 'Eduardo Chillida', Chillida 1948-1998, exh. cat., Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid, 1998-1999, p. 40).
The organic geometry of Lurra XXXIII is articulated by the space within and around the terracotta block. The complex incised lines carved with the knife expose the interior of the sculpture, revealing a labyrinth of geometric space through the narrow slits. Speaking of this quality, Chillida quantified, 'space must be conceived in terms of plastic volume, instead of being fixed with the help of lines onto the imaginary surface of the paper. I am unable to imagine it other than in three dimensions. That is the way form acquires its structure. Form springs spontaneously from the needs of the space that builds its dwelling like an animal in its shell. Just like this animal, I am also an architect of the void' (E. Chillida, quoted in K. de Barañano (ed.), Chillida 1948-1998, exh. cat., Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid, 1998-1999, p. 62).